More than half the pilots who book a week with Fly with Behrooz travel alone. No partner coming along, no flying buddy with matching availability, no group to organise. Just a pilot, a bag of kit, and a flight to Lisbon. If that describes you, this guide is about what to expect — the practical realities of booking solo, how the group dynamic actually works, what the social week looks like, and why a coached small-group format is, in many ways, the ideal environment for a solo traveller who wants to fly well.
Why So Many Pilots Travel Alone
Paragliding is a sport with a specific scheduling problem. Flying weeks depend on weather windows; partners are not always pilots; and even among paragliding couples, skill levels and programme preferences often diverge. The pilot who wants a focused XC week may have a partner who wants a beach holiday. The pilot who can get leave in April may have friends who can only travel in August. The sport selects for independent decision-making — which is part of why pilots tend to be comfortable going it alone.
There is also a simpler reason. Many of the most motivated pilots are the ones most willing to prioritise the flying itself over the social logistics of organising a group. Booking solo is often just the most efficient path to actually getting in the air.
How Small-Group Coaching Works for Solo Pilots
The concern most solo pilots have before they arrive is: will I spend a week feeling like the odd one out? The answer, in practice, is almost always no — and here is why.
Behrooz's groups are capped at five pilots for XC days and eight for coastal days. These are small groups by any measure. The group typically assembles on the first morning from pilots who do not know each other yet. Within a day or two — sometimes within hours — the shared experience of flying together creates a natural cohesion that is difficult to replicate in other contexts. There is something about launching off a cliff together, tracking each other on XCTrack, and debriefing over the same video in the evening that accelerates connection in a way that conventional travel socialising rarely does.
Solo pilots often get more from a coached week than those who come in established pairs or groups. Why? Partners tend to fly together and debrief together privately. Solos engage more openly with the group, ask more questions, and tend to focus harder on the coaching. Behrooz has noticed this pattern repeatedly — the most visibly improved pilot by the end of the week is more often a solo than someone who arrived as part of a group.
Who Comes Alone — The Typical Solo Pilot
Looking across a typical season, solo pilots at Sesimbra fall into a few recognisable patterns:
- The career paraglider — has been flying for years, comes annually to reset and improve, treats the week like a professional training camp. Often the most experienced pilot in the group.
- The newly licensed pilot — passed their licence 6–18 months ago and wants their first proper coached experience. The solo trip is deliberate; they want to focus entirely on flying without social obligations.
- The returning solo — came once with a partner or friend, now books independently because the week was clearly worth doing on its own terms.
- The schedule-flexible pilot — can book at short notice or mid-week when partners cannot. Often finds the least-busy, most personally attentive weeks this way.
The Social Dynamics — What Evenings Actually Look Like
Flying days end in Sesimbra with the group back in town. Track log debrief typically happens over coffee or a beer in the early evening — Behrooz pulls up the XCTrack data, and the group works through what each pilot did, why it worked or didn't, and what to try differently tomorrow. This is not a formal classroom session; it is a relaxed, genuinely interesting conversation between people who shared a physically intense day together.
After the debrief, pilots are free. Sesimbra has good restaurants concentrated in a small area, a harbour with seafood, and the easy, low-pressure atmosphere of a Portuguese fishing town. Pilots who want to socialise with the group almost always do — dinner together, a walk along the seafront, early nights before big flying days. Pilots who want solitude have complete freedom to take it. There is no obligation and no awkwardness either way.
Non-flying days — which occur when conditions are not suitable — are easy to fill independently. Sesimbra is 40 minutes from Lisbon by car, 20 minutes from the Arrábida natural park beaches, and well-connected to the entire Setúbal Peninsula. A non-flying day in the area does not feel like a wasted day.
Accommodation for Solo Pilots — Practical Options
Sesimbra has accommodation across a range of budgets. For solo travellers, the most practical options are:
- Single rooms in small hotels or guesthouses (€45–75/night) — the most common choice for solo pilots. Several family-run units close to the seafront and launch areas. Behrooz can suggest specific options when you book.
- Apartments (€60–100/night) — if you want a kitchen and more space. Slightly more expensive for a single occupant than a hotel single, but useful for longer stays or if you prefer to self-cater.
- Rural casas just outside town (€40–65/night) — quieter, often better value, but require a car or willingness to walk or cycle. Some pilots prefer the separation from the main town.
The premium of travelling solo (paying for a single room rather than splitting a double) is real but modest in Sesimbra compared to Northern European pricing. A realistic accommodation budget for a solo pilot is €50–80 per night.
Safety as a Solo Pilot — You Are Never Alone in the Air
One concern pilots sometimes raise is safety: if I go down somewhere on an XC flight and nobody knows where I am, what happens? The answer with a guided small-group week is straightforward.
Behrooz monitors all pilots on XCTrack Live throughout every XC flight. If a pilot lands out, Behrooz knows the GPS position in real time. Radio contact is maintained throughout the flight — solo or otherwise. Retrieve is organised. The experience of a solo pilot in the air with Behrooz is indistinguishable from that of a pilot who arrived with a partner, except that the solo pilot is typically more communicative on the radio because there is no one else to talk to.
Tips for Solo Pilots Before You Book
- Ask about current group composition. If you want to fly with pilots at a similar level, ask Behrooz when you enquire. He will tell you honestly who else is booked and whether the week is likely to suit you.
- Be flexible on dates if you can. Smaller groups mean more personal attention. A week with three pilots flies differently from a week with eight. If flexibility is available, ask which dates are currently less booked.
- Bring your own harness and helmet. Glider rental is available if needed, but your own equipment means no fitting compromises and more flying time.
- Download XCTrack before you arrive and familiarise yourself with the basic interface. Behrooz uses it for group tracking and task setting on XC days.
- Plan one or two non-flying activities in advance. You will almost certainly have at least one non-flying day, and having a loose plan (Arrábida, Lisbon, Setúbal) makes those days feel easy rather than uncertain.
Why Sesimbra Works Particularly Well for Solo Pilots
Some destinations suit solo travel better than others. Sesimbra does well on most of the factors that matter. It is small enough that you are never anonymous — after two days the café owners know you, the launch is sociable, and the group is easy to find. It is compact enough that you do not need a car to get around within the town. It is safe, low-stress, and genuinely pleasant to spend time in independently. The Portuguese are unhurried and welcoming to visitors, and English is widely spoken among the younger generation in the town.
The flying structure does the rest. Because Behrooz's groups are small and the coaching is personal, a solo pilot has the same access to attention, guidance, and airtime as anyone else in the group — without needing to organise it with anyone.
If you are considering a solo flying week and want to know more before committing, message Behrooz directly on WhatsApp. He responds quickly and will answer any specific questions about how the week works for solo travellers.